Two pilots were killed when their World War II-era plane crashed at a California airport during a Father’s Day event.
Frank Wright, 67, the chief of operations at the Yanks Air Museum, was flying the twin-engine Lockheed 12A plane with his co-pilot Saturday afternoon when it plummeted from the sky and burst into flames at the Chino Airport, ABC 7 reported.
“Took a nose dive, and the first part of the plane that hit was the left wing, and that’s where the fuel was, I guess, and what happened was immediate explosion,” a witness to the crash told the outlet.
The Chino Valley Fire District confirmed the deaths of Wright and his co-pilot, who was not immediately identified.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the crash.
Yanks Air Museum officials said they were cooperating with the authorities on the case and added that their facilities would remain closed.
“Yanks Air Museum will be closed until further notice as our family deals with this tragedy, and we appreciate your patience and respect for our privacy as we navigate through this difficult time,” officials said in a statement.
Wright was a member of the Yanks Air Museum’s flight team, with fellow pilots mourning his loss in tribute posts on social media.
“I only [k]new Frank Wright for the last 10 years but he always had time to sit down and talk planes and flying with me and if I ever had a mechanical question on how to solve a DC-3 issue he would always help,” Gary Stark wrote on Facebook.
“He will be missed tremendously in the warbirds community,” Stark added.
